Summer is here and Dare2Tri is making it one to remember for our kids by bringing adaptive bikes to the Gem on the Lake! Dare2Tri is a local non-profit with a mission to enhance the lives of individuals living with physical disabilities by making swimming, biking, and running more accessible. This month, the Dare2Tri team hosted a Road2Ride Bike Day for La Rabida patients that allowed our kids to ride adaptive bicycles up and down the lakefront.

“The primary goal of On the Road2Ride is to provide youth and adults with the ability to cycle and remove the barrier of high-priced equipment and transportation,” explained Ryan Quilty, Logistics & Program Manager at Dare2Tri. “We have had a consistent partnership with La Rabida through previous camps and events, and wanted to continue working with the kids at the hospital so they are able to experience the joy of riding an adaptive cycle.”

While fun, riding these adaptive bikes also helps with a child’s physical therapy treatment. “Peddling a bike is a great strength and endurance activity and can help kids with motor impairments learn about reciprocal motion in their body that can carry over to other activities, such as walking,” explained Jenny Analuisa, Physical Therapist at La Rabida Children’s Hospital. “It is a way to get moving and have fun at the same time. Riding a bike is such a normal activity for any child in the summer, and this helps to get children participating in an age-appropriate activity with peers.” Dare2Tri’s fleet of bikes includes handcycles, recumbent trikes, and upright bikes.

“Some families don’t realize that adaptive trikes exist and just think that bike riding is an activity that isn’t available to their child with special needs,” explained Jenny. “When I called to check on interest in the bikes, one parent told me that her child was in a wheelchair and that she couldn’t ride a bike. Many of our kids in wheelchairs do great on the trikes. This program really helps our patients experience riding an adaptive trike in a familiar environment with familiar people present.”

Dare2Tri also works one-on-one with other organizations that have the ability donate adaptive trikes to our patients and families. Events like Road2Ride give kids an opportunity to try the bikes, and if they enjoy it, the Dare2Tri team helps their families get one for themselves.

Thank you, Dare2Tri, for bringing this experience to our patients!

This story was featured in the June 2021 issue of eCurrents. Read the full issue here.